Diabetes health care of aboriginal people at Nunkuwarrin Yunti.
A small pilot study was undertaken by Flinders University and Nunkuwarrin Yunti (an Aboriginal health agency in Adelaide). The intention was to strengthen the curriculum of a short course on diabetes by including relevant information about the diabetes-related health issues of Aboriginal people who lived in Adelaide. The results indicated that Aboriginal clients lack adequate resources to manage their condition and access to adequate nutrition, health promotional programs, and support for family carers. Of significance, it was found that Aboriginal clients do not receive culturally acceptable health care from non-indigenous health providers. Diabetes mellitus is a serious health problem in Australia and if nurses are to effectively care for clients with this condition, they need to undertake specialised training in this area. With this in mind, The Flinders University School of Nursing offers annually the Diabetes Educators Course (DEC) to interested nurses working in this important area of health care. To ensure that the course meets the needs of society, the DEC is evaluated regularly by participants, consumers and diabetes educators. During a recent evaluation, Aboriginal health care was identified as an area that should be addressed. To assist with this change, Nunkuwarrin Yunti, a major provider of Aboriginal health care in Adelaide, was consulted and a decision was made to undertake a joint study to address the matter.
King
M
M
School of Nursing, Flinders University of South Australia.
Wilson
K
K
D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003479:Curriculum; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012648:Self Care; D013021:South Australia; D016746:Transcultural Nursing / Q000193:education